Preserve Your Health By Changing What You Eat

I'm sure you must have heard the phrase, "It's complicated." I watched two movies this week-end - 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and 'Traitor' with Don Cheadle - in which the phrase was used. There is even a movie which is called 'It's Complicated' starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.

I'm sure many people will think that given the food choices we have today, the phrase 'it's complicated' is appropriate. In reality however, it is not complicated.

Eating healthy is not as simple as it was when I was growing up in the early '50s. Back then there were no genetically modified organisms (GMOs), high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (the levels seen today), aspartame, soy, trans fats, farmed fish, and meat, eggs, and dairy products from factory-farmed animals (also known as confined animal feeding operation, CAFO).

Most meals were eaten at home back in the day. Although there were fast food restaurants, it was nowhere near the numbers and varieties we see today.

Instead of buying prepackaged biscuits, my mother made them at home from scratch. Birthday cakes and soups were also hand-made. Those were the days!

But you can return to eating healthy as was the custom back in the day by following a few principles:

• eat the majority of your meals home-cooked
• buy fruits and vegetables from farmer's markets, local farms, or CSA (community supported agriculture)
• eat eggs and meat which are USDA Organic certified
• stop drinking regular and diet sodas and replace fruit juice with the fruit itself
• eliminate processed foods (chips, pretzels, cakes, cookies, candies, etc.) except for an occasional treat
• cut drastically the amount of grain you eat (breads, cereals, etc.); this includes whole grain

I advise eliminating entirely or cutting back drastically the eating of grain products for two reasons:

• they break down rapidly in the bloodstream causing a surge in blood sugar and resulting insulin to push it into your body's cells
• grain consists of omega-6 fatty acid and Americans eat an unhealthy balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids

Although it is thought that whole grains are healthier than their processed counterparts (white rice, white bread), it is still broken down into simple sugars which only adds to the over consumption of processed foods. This leads to disease-causing inflammation and rapid growth of cancerous cells.

The healthy balance of omega-6 to omega-3 should be in the range of 1.5:1 to 2:1. The standard American diet provides anywhere from 20:1 to 25:1!

I guarantee that by putting this guide into place, you will increase the health profile of yourself and your family. These healthy eating principles will also help you to avoid chronic disease and doctor and emergency room visits.

It is true that buying and eating healthy may cost you a little more at the supermarket. But that added cost is minimal compared to the health costs associated with long-term illness or chronic disease like cancer or heart disease.

It's a matter of paying a little more now or paying a lot more later through sky high medical costs and pharmaceutical drugs.

Despite the current rhetoric against eating read meat, it is healthy for you IF it comes from pasture-fed animals (free-ranged). That means that the cattle, pigs, and chickens have access to the outdoors and their natural food sources which God has Created them to eat.

I have found that ShopRite carries several meats that are USDA Organic certified. I frequently purchase Nature's Reserve Free Range Beef steaks; I also eat a lot of hamburgers (minus the bun). I either buy Clayton's Organic Ground Beef or Organic Prairie Pasture-Raised Ground Beef.

ShopRite carries their own brand of USDA Organic certified brown eggs. I buy those instead of the cheaper non-organic brand. Look for Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs too.

You may ask yourself, 'What is the difference between pasture-fed meat or USDA Certified eggs?'

The difference is how the animal is raised. The majority of meat, eggs, and dairy products come from animals which are kept indoors in overcrowded pens. They barely have room to move around, and wallow in their own feces and urine. These animals are given a steady diet of GMO grain (primarily corn), and antibiotics to stimulate growth and fight infection caused by their living conditions. Hormones are given to enhance growth too.

The animals are under constant stress due to their unnatural confinement, treatment, and diet. They are also diseased and sick when slaughtered.

The antibiotics and hormones are stored in the animal's fatty tissue and wind up on your dinner plate. Your also consume pesticide residue from the GM corn.

And despite claims to the contrary, genetically modified (GM) foods have never been tested for human safety. As a matter of fact, the countries which make up the European Union ban GM foods.

Animal tests show that GM foods are anything but safe. Since GM foods are not required to be labeled as such, the only way you can avoid them is to eat USDA Organic certified meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Preserving your health by changing the way you eat is DOABLE, and it's NOT complicated. Your health and that of your family makes it an easy choice.

By the way, a side effect of putting this plan in place is successful weight loss. (Fat doesn't make you fat, but America's high carbohydrate and vegetable oil (grain) diet does)

Let me know your thoughts and any successes here.

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